The list ranges from lighting designers to furniture makers to fabricators, all on the cutting edge. Some highlights:

Elisa Strozyk, based in Berlin, makes wooden textiles (see image above) that Dwell describes as "hybrids between parquet floors and fabrics." She says water-warped parquet flooring inspired her work. She told Dwell: “You know how wood is supposed to feel when you touch a tabletop or a shelf, but the concept of wrapping it around your body is a new experience.”

Japanese designer Yota Kakuda has a penchant for traditional building techniques. His Tenon furniture collection is made using mortise and tenon joints. His other work, such as the Nambu cast iron casserole and the winding charger, a retractable phone charger (why hasn't Apple offered this yet?) also harken back to old-school objects.

Mary Catherine O'Connor has written for Outside, Fast Company, Wired.com, Smithsonian.com, Entrepreneur, Earth2Tech.com, Earth Island Journal and The Magazine. She is based in San Francisco.
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